Catholic Cardinal to make public visit to western ND for the first time

BISMARCK, N.D. (May 22, 2013) – Cardinal Raymond Burke, a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, will make a historic visit to western North Dakota in June, joining both laypeople and priests of the Bismarck Diocese for a special celebration.

Burke, 64, will preside at Mass beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck on June 2, which is the feast of Corpus Christi (the Body and Blood of Christ). Burke will then lead a eucharistic procession outdoors at 12:30 p.m. and will offer a reflection at the cathedral at 3 p.m. Afterwards, Burke will travel to Richardton to give a private retreat to nearly 45 priests of the Bismarck Diocese at Assumption Abbey.

Burke currently lives in Rome and serves as Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal (a sort of chief justice) of the Apostolic Signatura, which is the highest judicial authority in the Roman Catholic Church. He has also served as archbishop of St. Louis, Mo. and bishop of La Crosse, Wis.

“Because [Cardinal Burke] and I are seminary classmates from our years of studying theology in Rome, he and I have been friends for quite some time,” said Bishop of Bismarck David Kagan. “I asked the cardinal if he would be willing to lead us in our celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi, and he very graciously agreed. I’m especially grateful to him because I know he is in great demand around the world to speak and offer conferences on many different topics.”

A cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church has never made a public visit to western North Dakota since the Diocese of Bismarck was erected in 1910. (Chinese Cardinal Thomas Tien Ken-sin privately visited Bismarck Bishop Hilary Hacker in August 1964 after the two became friends at the Second Vatican Council.)

“A visit from a cardinal has never happened, so this is not just a very joyous event, but a historic moment for all of us who are Catholic in North Dakota. It is something that I hope will strengthen the faith-life of all of us,” Bishop Kagan said.

Burke isn’t the only cardinal who will visit the state this year: Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, will deliver the keynote address at THIRST 2013, a Eucharistic Conference that will be held Oct. 25-27 at the Bismarck Civic Center sponsored by the Bismarck Diocese in cooperation with the University of Mary.

Those wishing to see the cardinals and participate in either the Corpus Christi celebration or THIRST 2013 should complete a free registration online at www.bismarckdiocese.com under the events tab.